Soaked Whole Grains--Oatmeal Banana Pancakes

Once upon a time I happened upon this web site. It expounds the benefits of soaking your whole grains before you use them, for nutritional benefit and what not. I don't know about nutritional benefits (if they really are all that), but I can say that it seems to improve the final texture and taste of the finished product. The short of the story is this: soak your whole grains in an acid medium for at least 12 hours before cooking with them. An acid medium can include cultured buttermilk, yogurt, lemon juice, and vinegar (1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar per 1 cup of water). Heat the acid medium to bath-water temperature before adding it, then let it soak at room temperature for at least 12 hours. And leaving buttermilk out on the counter overnight is not going to make you sick. Anyway, you can find more details and recipes on the web site. Here's something that I tried this morning. Note: do remember that you have to start it the night before. I added blueberries as well, and topped them with strawberries. They were REALLY good. :)


Whole Wheat-Oatmeal-Banana Pancakes

1 cup uncooked rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups cultured buttermilk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons dry milk powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 banana, mashed

Place the rolled oats into the jar of a blender and blend until the texture resembles coarse flour.

Combine the blended oats, whole wheat flour, and buttermilk. Allow so soak at room temperature for at least 12 hours.

Whisk together all-purpose flour, brown sugar, dry milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside.

Whisk together the egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Stir in the mashed banana. Add to buttermilk mixture. Add dry flour mixture and stir just until moistened.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry, about 2 minutes. Flip, and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.